1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to television systems, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for displaying network application data having a non-interlaced format on a display unit of a television system supporting interlaced displays.
2. Related Art
Since the 1940s, television systems have been increasingly embraced by many households, particularly in the industrial countries. Television systems have generally been used to view broadcasts made in distant parts of the world or to view a pre-recorded program from a video cassette player (VCP). A significant proportion of the households presently have at least one television set in their homes. Television displays are presently available or anticipated to be widely available in analog (e.g., NTSC analog signal displayed on a CRT based display screen) as well as digital technologies (e.g., HDTV).
In parallel, data network applications (hereafter "network applications") have experienced a phenomenal growth since the mid-1980s. Network applications such as web-browsing and electronic mail have had a fundamental impact on the manner in which information is exchanged and disseminated. These network applications have particularly been implemented for and used along with computer systems such as personal computer systems, work-stations, and the like.
At least in view of the considerable presence of the television systems in the households, it may be desirable to provide the capability to access the network data applications on television systems. Examples of such television systems are described in RELATED APPLICATION 1 and RELATED APPLICATION 2.
One problem with the display of network application on television display screens is that television display units are typically designed to display images of interlaced format. In contrast, images representing network application data may be available in interlaced format.
Therefore, what is needed is a circuit and method which enables the display of network application data images available in non-interlaced format on a display unit of a television system supporting interlaced display format.
In addition, the circuit and method may need to reduce flicker which may otherwise be present in the display of network application data on television system displays. Flicker is usually a result of sharp transitions in color (e.g., the display may include alternative scan lines of black and white) typically present in network application data images. As is well known in the art, flicker on television displays is undesirable as it can cause considerable strain on human eyes.
Therefore, what is also needed is a circuit and method which enable the display of network application data without much flicker.
In addition, the above described requirements may need to be implemented in a cost-effective manner as television systems may be targeted for consumer applications, where low cost is usually an important factor.